Thanks for the girlies update Bill, they're lovely, can't beat a ginger hen ! Bit of a shocker there under the plastic ! we've had rain overnight and it's thundering now. It's freshened up everything no end. Still not got any seeds planted, had a bit of a complicated hernia where me kidney was, so still fit for nowt !

HensAloud wrote:Thanks for the girlies update Bill, they're lovely, can't beat a ginger hen ! Bit of a shocker there under the plastic ! we've had rain overnight and it's thundering now. It's freshened up everything no end. Still not got any seeds planted, had a bit of a complicated hernia where me kidney was, so still fit for nowt !

What are we going to do with you ,thought you would be raring to go long before now ,pity I was not a bit closer could have done some for you ,will have to get he who does in the harness.Well I hope you soon improve cant be nice feeling yuck all the time.

Managed to get me runner beans sown into there cardboard tubes yesterday 30 beans 30 tubesAnyone who fancies doing them this way when you plant them make sure all of the tube is underground ,you will find tube rots away once planted so beans go in undisturbed Also got me cucumbers and courgettes in pots ,2 seeds in each pot pull one out once germinated The white pipe sticking out of 2 of the pots is something I tried last year ,and it seemed to work, cucumbers can soon get stem rot at ground level so water outside the pipe ensuring stem stays dry , 2 seeds are planted inside the pipe

Realy nice day today but forcast is for colder weather on the way,spuds looking good but got to watch if any frost forcast.Plenty of flowers on strawberry plants so hopefully year 2 will give better results.Corgetts potted up and hardening off out side just over a week from sowingFlowers starting to show on Tomatoes have lost 3 plants with the cold nights must have got a draft.No sign of me beans yet hopefully i havent put them in upside down Another 6 lettuce to feed the slugs lost all i have put out this year apart from the polly tunnel ones

looks good - as for frost forecast, perhaps cover the strawberries too to be on the safe side. MetOffice seems to be making a big issue about the change in the weather but apart from Friday night/Saturday morning, forecasts are not that cold

Put all of my sweetcorn to chit 2 packets of seed ,started them in the airing cuboard on Friday ,put them on damp kitchen roll in 2 sealed icecream containers and all but 3 chitted good result ,but still got to grow though.Potted them all up this morning 78 i need 60 so will have hopefully a few spare.Runner beans are getting away but not as fast as i would have liked hope they all germinate but slow at the moParsnips looking ok untroubled by the recent frost which caught my potatoes even though they were covered.We have had a Gooseberry bush in the garden for several years and for the first time this year it has fruit ,only 2 but fruit non the lessSpent some of yesterday sowing dwarf french beans in the pollytunnel allways seem to do well.And finally one for Angela ,i know she likes to know how the girls are getting on ,allways hungrey and allways looking for food ,bless Taken this morning

Saterday 10th May 2014As another heavy shower moves over for the sun ,time to nip out and get me pictures,cant speek for the chickens but things are loving this few days of rain and sun and you can certainly notice a difference in growthIhave lost a couple of corgett plants and one of these isnt looking to spritely ,in fact i have lost more this year than i can remember in other years,5 tomatoe plants just withered and died,in fact have a dodgy one now found an ants nest in it ,flooded them out replaced some compost gave it a feed and fingers crossed ,but still got the droop.At least sweetcorn not letting me down yet ,after loosing 18 out of 30 runner beans.Its mostly in the greenhouse i have a problem things out in the garden doing ok ,even the frost burnt spuds are making a comeback.Onions and leeks makeing the most of the rain.Brassicas looking ok under the green net ,at least wont have the caterpillar worry this year just about desicated them last year.Carrots soon be ready for thining out.Took these down as the wind keeps getting up but even they look better for the rain.

Everything is flourishing Bill, thankyou for the girls pic, they look happy all bunched in the corner, is that where you dish out the snacks ? My Melonies are coming up, so he who does have greenish fingers after all !

Well after a pretty disaterus start to the growing year at last things are looking better and getting back on track ,surpriseing what a few milder nights can do .Tomatoes are looking greener and more healthy ,some of bottom the leaves still look pale i dont think you can reverse that, but by spraying with a solution of epsom salts 2 teaspoons to a litre of water twice a week it has made the rest of the plant much healthier. theyu suffer from a magnesium deficiency and that helps ,next year it will be an organic seaweed fertilizer mixed in the pots should cure the problem then First tomatoes on there way,from the plant that was sick after an ant attack on the roots best plant in the house now.Even the cougets that looked so sickly are going great guns and have fruit on.Outside cucumbers well on there way ,fingers crossed for no more cold nightsLeeks and onions need some sun now ,had lots of rain.Potatoes are taking over the garden ,had to tie them back.Runner beans look to be doing ok and will remove there bubble wrap at the weekend ,it was to keep any cool winds at bay.Cabbages caulies and sprouts bet them pesky butterflies wont get them this yearSweetcorn looking ok after early damping problems ,managed to plant 70 and all seem ok have netted early plants keeps the wind and the pidgeons off ,soon be time to take it off.Carrots are growing like the clappers have thinned twice and had several meals off.In the pollytunnel i have set dwarf beans they seam to grow well in there and usually get a good crop.Spotted first strawberry this morning so grabed it before the slugs did.Now anyone know what this is ,freind or fo spotted it a few days ago seems to grow quick.

Seems I wasn't too far off the track - have a look at the link for Euphorbia lathyris, also known as a Mole Plant or Gopher Plant because it is supposed to repel moles. Can turn into a weed though if left to naturalise ....